Hardaway, 26, has scored at least 24 points in six of the seven games this season, finding himself with the ball more often than at any other point in his career.

“I’m proud of him. He knows that this year is going to be an up and down year for us, a growing year. But his growth and what he’s trying to take to heart is, how do I become a star?” David Fizdale said. “How do I become a go-to guy? What’s the next step? What is the responsibility for that? That’s why I’m really on him about defending. I think you can see he’s competing.

“Yes, we suffered a few times because I trusted him and I think it’s going to pay off in the end. What you see is what you get with him right now. In the film sessions, in practice, in the locker room, he’s stepping up. He’s holding guys accountable. He’s holding himself accountable. He’s owning it when he screws up. I’ve just been really proud of watching him trying to shoulder this.”

Like the Knicks (2-5), Hardaway understands his shot won’t always fall. His shooting percentage this season (41.8) is hardly elite. But on nights he’s struggling, the 26-year-old has to do a better job of getting his teammates involved.

“The coaching staff has put me in position to be successful in that area of my game. My teammates had the utmost confidence in me doing so. In order for me to do that I have to be aggressive on the offensive end so some shots may not be as pleasing but you have to take those,” Hardaway said. “Try to limit those as much as possible and try to be as efficient as possible. Just tried to do whatever I can to get my teammates involved today when they were open. They did a great job of knocking down shots.”

The Nets (2-5), meanwhile, were awful on both sides of the floor, missing a total of 27 3-pointers. They trailed by double-digits the entire second half.

“Just to keep your guys encouraged that’s what they’re doing, there’s some fruits to that labor — you want them to feel that joy of victory,” Fizdale said. “For me, it’s just relief. But you want them to see that all the hard work they’re putting in is turning into something for them. We understand that this league is going to be unforgiving to us but we want to try to get every win we can.”